Small, portable electronic devices capable of storing and displaying large amounts of high resolution computer graphic information and even video content continue to be increasingly popular. Smart phone devices, such as the Apple iPhone™ and Google Android™, are representative of a significant trend towards the convergence of mobile phones, portable computers, and digital media players. (iPhone is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.; Android is a trademark of Google, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif.) While these devices typically include a display screen, the visual experience of a high resolution, large format display cannot be easily replicated in such devices because of their physical size limitations.
In addition, a number of applications benefit from the use of untethered, portable video display devices. For example, certain applications for use by industrial workers, soldiers, police or emergency workers in the field require as an objective the ability to display video, untethered from a host platform, at a remote distance. This allows an industrial worker, soldier, police or emergency worker in the field to have access to all of the host platform's display information at a range equal to his or her wireless voice communications.
Recently developed micro-displays can provide large format, high resolution color pictures and streaming video in a very small form factor. One application for such displays is a head mounted display (HMD) worn on the user's face or head similar to a pair of eyeglasses or headphones. These “video eyewear” devices include a small high resolution micro-display and lens to magnify the image. The micro-displays can provide Super Video Graphics Array (SVGA) (800×600) resolution or even Extended Graphics Array (XGA) (1024×768) or higher resolution. A hands-free wireless video interface provides great convenience and mobility to such devices. For more information concerning such devices, see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/018,999 filed on Feb. 1, 2011, entitled “Wireless Hands-Free Computing Headset With Detachable Accessories Controllable By Motion, Body Gesture And/Or Vocal Commands”. The entire teachings of the above application are incorporated herein by reference.